They waited for about five or six minutes.
Teach suddenly heard some movement from the inner room, seemingly someone opening a door.
However, blocked by the hallway, he couldn't see who it was. Naturally, he was quite curious.
"You don't need to clean anymore, alright?"
"Mind your own business and go attend to your guests."
"How inexplicable..."
Amidst these bickering voices, the footsteps grew closer.
Doflamingo also stood up in turn, his attitude appearing somewhat respectful.
This surprised Teach. With Doflamingo's status as a Warlord of the Sea and his so-called 'noble bloodline,' who would require such deference?
Through their interactions, Teach had figured out that Doflamingo was supposed to be a very arrogant person.
Is this 'big shot' really that powerful?
But since Doflamingo was taking such a stance, Teach couldn't very well remain seated. He stood up with a slight awkwardness and whispered, "Is this necessary?"
"Fuffuffufu..." Doflamingo chuckled but didn't elaborate.
Then, after three or five breaths, a tall figure emerged from inside.
The man was wearing a slightly casual brown suit and looked sharp and energetic.
He had an impressively handsome look, with a subtle beard on his chin that added a touch of mature charm. His short black hair was a little messy but neat and appropriate.
Upon seeing the face of this figure, Teach froze in place.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, greeted him with a grin. "Admiral, long time no see."
"Oh, it has been a while, Doflamingo... Hmm? Your Majesty?" Diarmuid teased with a smile.
Doflamingo laughed along. "Fuffuffufu, no need to call me that."
As the two greeted each other like old friends, Teach finally snapped back to reality. His eyes filled with wariness, and he slightly distanced himself from Doflamingo, watching Diarmuid without a word.
At this point, he just hoped that he was obscure enough not to be noticed by Diarmuid and that his identity wouldn't be recognized.
If he still didn't sense that something was wrong now, he truly had a problem with his brain. He seemed to have fallen into some kind of trap.
"Alright, take a seat," Diarmuid raised a hand, gesturing them to sit.
After a short pause, he looked at Teach, a grin spreading across his face. "You too, Marshall D. Teach."
Hearing those words, Teach's heart sank by half, but he still forced himself to remain calm. "I never thought my name would be known to an important figure like yourself."
"I saw you on Jam Island, didn't I?" Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Teach had no choice but to nod. "Yes, I had the honor of meeting you, Admiral."
Then, Teach thought for a moment and actually plopped down onto the sofa.
This level of audacity genuinely made Diarmuid look at him with a little more respect.
Sitting down, Teach looked at Doflamingo. "Care to explain?"
Doflamingo laughed. "It's simple. The Admiral wanted to see you, so I brought you to Alabasta."
Upon hearing this, Teach nearly leaped up and kicked Doflamingo's head in. What kind of logic is that?!
Listen to yourself! Is that something a person says? You didn't even consider what I might want!
"So, Rob Lucci, the mysterious story in Alabasta, the Nefertari Family, and the Dark-Dark Fruit… it was all a trick by you?" Teach asked, his tone darkening.
"No... I didn't trick you," Doflamingo shook his head.
Teach frowned, confused. He felt like he was close to shattering a membrane and understanding the whole situation, but that one layer of separation prevented him from grasping it!
It was at this moment that Diarmuid chuckled and looked at Teach. "You're looking for the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
Teach was silent for a moment, then said, "To be precise, I'm looking for Rob Lucci. That man killed my friend and comrade and violated the iron rule of the Whitebeard Pirates. Neither the Old Man nor I will forgive him..."
"Hahahahahaha..." Diarmuid burst into laughter.
After laughing, Diarmuid looked at Teach again. "You are very cunning."
Teach was puzzled in his heart. Just then, Diarmuid continued, "Thatch, the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division, you killed him, didn't you?"
"Even if you are a Marine Admiral, you can't slander me like that!" Teach's expression darkened.
"For so many years, you waited aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, waiting for the day you could find the Dark-Dark Fruit. I have to say, you are incredibly patient, Teach. It's just a shame that, in the final step, someone stole it from under your nose, right?" Diarmuid continued.
At this very moment, Teach finally realized the full scope of things. His expression changed, and he spoke with shock and disbelief. "Lucci is really a Marine!?"
"Looks like you've figured it out?" Diarmuid grinned.
Before Teach could speak, Diarmuid nodded. "That's right. Rob Lucci, my subordinate. Over ten years ago, he followed my orders, infiltrated the Whitebeard Pirates, and joined the Second Division. His objective was you and the Dark-Dark Fruit. Aren't you surprised? Isn't that unexpected?"
"Impossible! How could your search for the Dark-Dark Fruit lead you to me? Before then, I never revealed anything about this to anyone! And back then, I was just an unknown nobody. How could a Marine Admiral like you have noticed me?" Teach rapidly refuted.
"The fact is what it is. I don't need to explain anything to you," Diarmuid said calmly, waving his hand.
After a slight pause, Diarmuid asked, "I called you here because I have a few questions I want to ask you."
Teach's face was unpredictable. He then asked, "The Dark-Dark Fruit is in your hands now?"
"Vergo..." Diarmuid called out.
It was at this moment that Teach suddenly remembered why the man looked familiar—A Marine Vice Admiral, for crying out loud!
Thinking of this, Teach looked at Doflamingo. You're a Marine, too?!
What is this madness?!
Aren't you a Celestial Dragon? Aren't you a Warlord of the Sea? You... goddamn it!
Teach just wanted to swear now.
Vergo quickly went into the inner room and brought the Dark-Dark Fruit back to Diarmuid.
Staring at the Dark-Dark Fruit, which he had coveted for so long, Teach also instantly recognized it.
It was in this moment, with the Dark-Dark Fruit as solid evidence, that Teach had no choice but to believe Diarmuid's previous assertions.
"If I answer your questions, will you give me the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Teach asked in a deep voice.
"No," Diarmuid answered without hesitation.
Teach was speechless. You're not playing by the rules.
"But if the answer satisfies me, I might spare your life," Diarmuid added.
"Are you that confident you can handle me?" Teach asked, a ruthless look entering his eyes.
"You can try resisting," Diarmuid said, still very calm.
Teach assessed the situation and ultimately decided he wasn't capable enough. He obediently sat back on the sofa and asked, "What is your question?"
"The reason you desire the Dark-Dark Fruit is because you are well aware of its ability, not just the most evil aspect, but also your ambition and idea of becoming a multi-ability user..." Diarmuid began.
Before he could finish, Teach interrupted him in shock. "How do you know that?"
If the Dark-Dark Fruit could be said to have left some clues, the idea of being a multi-ability user was impossible for anyone else to know. Even if someone knew, it would only be treated as a joke. Yet, why was Diarmuid asking so seriously?
"Hmm..." Diarmuid rubbed the beard on his chin, then said, "In this world, there are many means to predict and explore the unknown. I happen to know a few. Is there a problem?"
"I..." Teach wanted to say, I don't believe a word of it.
But the current scene was too bizarre. Furthermore, he suddenly thought of someone.
A fortune teller on Fish-Man Island named Madam Shyarly. It was said she wasn't an ability user, but she possessed the ability to predict the future.
And this wasn't just bragging; it was absolutely real!
Teach had witnessed it with his Pops, such as her predicting the Great Pirate Era.
Diarmuid suddenly talking about these mystical things, which seemed unbelievable, somehow felt more reasonable when paired with the inexplicable reality they were facing.
"The question I want to ask is this: Is your daring hypothesis based on the unique nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power, or the uniqueness of your physical constitution?" Diarmuid asked again.
Seeing Diarmuid expose yet another one of his secrets, Teach was now completely resigned.
It was as if he were transparent in front of this man!
Doflamingo was also somewhat surprised. Multi-fruit user? What the hell is that?
Is Diarmuid already attempting to pursue that path? Doesn't he fear death?
"It's based on the uniqueness of my physical constitution..." Teach finally gave that answer. Then he quickly added, "I advise you not to conduct such reckless experiments. You are already a Marine Admiral, possessing strength capable of defeating Pops, and you're called the strongest. Why risk your life gambling on such a possibility?"
"Does the Dark-Dark Fruit have any unique properties in this regard?" Diarmuid countered with another question.
Teach was silent for a long time. In the end, he didn't dare to lie. He nodded and said, "Yes, but it should only be a small part. I was just gambling; I wasn't certain I could truly become a double-fruit, or even a multi-fruit, user."
What he said was the truth, but the implication was clear: Don't you dare risk it. Leave this kind of thing to me!
Diarmuid nodded in satisfaction. This aligned with his own hypothesis.
Teach's physical uniqueness was certainly a factor, but the Dark-Dark Fruit was definitely not an ordinary Devil Fruit.
The fact that it could steal the power of other Devil Fruit users was already absurd. How could a power with that kind of conceptual nature not influence the formation of a multi-fruit user?
"One last question: Do you feel that craving and greed for the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Diarmuid asked.
Teach: "???"
Isn't that obvious? If I didn't feel that, would I have endured all those years?
But before he could speak, Diarmuid smiled and waved his hand. "Never mind, you can't answer that question."
After speaking, Diarmuid grabbed the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Teach's heart jumped. He was afraid Diarmuid would bite into the Dark-Dark Fruit right now.
He wasn't worried about Diarmuid being blown to bits; he was worried that he would have to spend countless years searching for the Dark-Dark Fruit again.
"Like you, I am also different. Watch closely, Teach. This is why I wanted to find the Dark-Dark Fruit!" Diarmuid suddenly said with a surge of excitement in his voice.
As his voice fell, under Teach's incredible gaze and Doflamingo's surprise, the Dark-Dark Fruit held in Diarmuid's hand suddenly changed. It rapidly withered and shriveled up, the originally plump flesh becoming cracked. At first glance, it looked as if all the moisture had been sucked out, like a dried corpse in the desert.
Then, Diarmuid's eyes turned crimson. That greedy gaze was replaced by a satisfied look, and a dark aura began to spread from the arm clutching the Dark-Dark Fruit!
"You... You..." Teach looked at Diarmuid in utter shock.
This was completely different from what he had speculated! This man could actually extract power from a Devil Fruit?
How is that possible!?
Soon, a thick, dark aura completely enveloped Diarmuid, like a black cocoon. A massive energy fluctuation pulsed rhythmically from within this cocoon.
This bizarre scene astonished everyone. No one dared to make a sound, and even their breathing became shallow, including Teach.